TAKE AN EASY STEP TOWARD HEALTH

Why would you NOT want to be Tatyana Barabanova, even though she’s famous? Why could Nadia Barabanova make The Guiness World Records, but that be a bittersweet honor? What can you learn from their lives about living better yourself, living longer and bringing healthy children into the world? That’s our prime task, as the human species, right?

Well, Tatyana is a 43 year old mother of 12, who lives in or near Barnaul, Siberia, Russia, and on September 26, 2007 she gave birth, by Caesarian section, to 17 pound, 1 ounce Nadia, the the 3rd largest baby ever born, and the largest in more than 50 years. Why is this a tragedy in the making?

Let’s learn a bit about sex, gestation, what baby-fat ultimately may predict and more.

A female is born with a finite number of eggs; she has all of them when she is born, and their quality is optimized then. The older a woman gets, the more the eggs are likely to become damaged and less viable. At 43, any naturally-conceived motherhood is seriously risky to mother and child — especially the child of such an old egg. Men’s sperm also suffer with biological-age and ill health or toxicity. Babies born from ill or too-biologically-old parents often carry an unnecessary and unfair burden. How can a would-be parent want to do that to any child?

Notice, I am saying “biologically old”, not chronologically-old“!Thomas Paar was fathering healthy children when he was 140 years old. (see my Title Archive, on top bar – Oldest Humans Part 1) Today, in first world countries, instead, we are dealing with “infertility” among our young! Learn your bioloical-age by taking the survey tests at www.realage.com .

If you are going to try to become a parent, you need to be completely healthy for at least one year before you try to conceive.If you are pH unbalanced, and are toxically pH acid, then you will likely have “infertility” problems.

See the programs listed below, which will help you detoxify and regain pH alkaline status. In chronic cases, this can take years to accomplish, so start while you are young, if you intend to be parents.

Better still, while young, don’t buy into the highly-acidifying life-style of junk food, most-allergenic foods, sodas, alcohol, tobacco, over-the-counter drugs, other drugs unless truly needed, or immerse Self in stress without play to balance it. By avoiding these causes, you are likely to be able to regain your Health quickly and maintain it.

If you are biologically-older, you will definitely have to “work on this detox” for quite a while, a year or more, at least.

If you are on prescription mediciations, if you are young then you need to know if and how this will affect your fertility.

Tatyana mentioned in the original report that all of her other 11 children all weighed over 11 pounds. T his is a real clue as to why —“>I ate everything, we don’t have money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes.” >You can bet that on such a poor diet, Tatyana’s own health is seriously compromised and that she will be unlikely to see her children grow to adulthood. What you do not give a baby from food ingested, it will rob from your body — hers probably have 12 times.

How can any man who “loves” his wife, yet cannot already support a large family with better food, keep putting her at risk? What sexual selfishness is involved here? What societal or tribal mores come into play? Why is Tatyana not standing up for herself and saying “No more children!”? The Russian medical system surely offers her options, too, if she knows the options and is courageous enough to use them.

These children are being born with such a potentially-huge physical burden — undoubtedly already carb-addicted, probably disrupted blood sugar, imbalanced metabolisms and less than prime organs or nervous systems. World Health Organization at the United Nations says the average human baby weighs in at 7 pounds 6 ozs. That means there are many larger and smaller babies. Both groups are at risk, the further out on the statistical bell-curve they start.

And, society reaps the problems, too, with carb-addicted, likely life-long obesity looming, as well as health and neuroligical problems for these too-small and too-large babies.

As an educator, I know America is awash in children with “special needs” and “learning problems”, and it’s because of diet and exposure to toxins – for their parents, as well as the children. All of us have to be responsible and not “make babies” when we are not optimally healthy. The human race depends on it.

Gestational diabetes is becoming a huge problem and it can happen to diagnosed diabetics as well as undiagnosed diabetics. It is potentially life-threatening to mother and child.If you are already diabetic, really learn if you should attempt pregnancy until you get pH balanced (which will go a long way to helping ameliorate or eradicate Type 2 diabetes — and Type 1 diabetics do better, too). Get a fasting blood sugar before pregnancy; see if you are one of the tens of millions of undiagnosed diabetics. Watch your blood sugar levels throughout pregnancy regardless of the levels you started at.

If your physician does not understand the import of pH, then go to one who does. Naturopathic physicians (N.D.) and holistic physicians (M.D. / N.D. combo) are most likely. You can see a roster of naturopathic physicians from Bastyr University in Seattle Washington and from America’s oldest medical school for Naturopathic physicians — the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon — on their websites www.ncnm.edu and www.bastyr.edu . Look under alumni. Holistic physicians are taught at the Integrative Medicine program of the University of Arizona (Dr. Andrew Weil, MDs program www.drweil.com ) and a few other places in the US. Check your country’s situation.

There are also many well known and trained naturopathic physicians and holistic physicians online. Some are:

pH is the foundation of Health. You need to get back to being alkaline, everyday, in blood and tissues. Aim for pH 7.3 and read the explanatory books by authors: Kliment, Baroody, Young, Rau, Vasey and a few others on the critical role of pH (I’m far away from my home’s library, so I’m writing from memory and can’t give you titles).

… many believe weight is a personal choice and responsibility. Levi doesn’t dispute that notion, but he said society can help people make good choices.

“If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier,” he said. “If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active. That’s not just a class issue. We’ve designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk.”

In my opinion, you have to start advocating for yourself, your children and all who need access to better choices. This hasn’t happened on its own. We have to make better health care for all happen, and that includes health education, nutrition education, hands-on life-skills in food prep and many other arenas, time and places to be healthy and to relax, workplace co-operation, more vacation time for Americans, for sure (2 weeks is a real cause of so much illness, here. 6 weeks in Europe is more humane.). All of these arenas provide a basis for Prevention of many of the biggest health problems in the first place.

If Russian society cares about this child and her siblings, they will start to help this family eat better. And as for the family, they need to put pride aside. We are growing human-beings, and all societies need healthy people. We only get one chance to grow a healthy child or we have an unhealthy adult — and, at every level, unnecessary illness drains all of us.

Proper, effective, all-inclusive universal health coverage is critical in every country. No-one should be without effective, appropriate medical care, and respect should be given to any modalitiy which has proven its efficacy in the real world.

Prevention and attention to those with real needs is how we will solve the health-care crisis best. Chronic diseases, which can be greatly erradicated by balancing pH, have to be tackled and we have to turn illness around, from the Root, not just ameliorate or hide symptoms. It can be done.

Life is a great gift, but a life of illness is not. Really think about this when you make babies, please.And, while I am on my soap-box, seriously think about how we can best help mothers in need of help and for women to have more “choice” about what happens to their bodies and when. Patriarchal societies need to be informed and the weight of global sisterhood needs to be in-place to do so.

It does take a village to raise a child, and our responsibility to each other begins long before the thought of babies is even just a glimmer. My recipe = fewer humans:

___ well-fed humans with an emphasis on real, organic food, not factory products, and from largely vegetarian sources to help the planet.

All of this can happen because there ARE enough resources and opportunities for all, in a smaller not-constantly-expanding- population world — that’s the recipe for “real” right-to-Life, in my opinion.

And, support mother’s rights to discreetly breast-feed in any public place. Children are always better fed that way, and any mother who wants to, should be able to, without public out-cry. According to Dr. Rau, MD, in his book “The Swiss Secret”, children need to be breast-fed 18 months to 2 years, as their intestines (where 90% of their immune system is housed) is immature until then, and when solid food is introduced too early (as it is now recommended), this goes against Nature’s plan, and life-long primal, T-cell food allergies are formed, unnecessarily. As it is difficult, biochemically, to conceive another child while breast-feeding, this is Nature’s contraceptive strategy and natural-spacing of children, which is more likely to ensure their survival. Breast pumps work great for “banking” milk for later use and allowing Mom’s to work outside the home, if needed.

In 1879, a 23 pound 8 oz boy was born-in-America and he only lived 11 hours. Today, Nadia may be able to have a longer life, and diagnostics may help to see what needs strengthening, but I wish that no more babies like Nadia are born, as it speaks volumes about the society and the family that made or was forced to make those choices leading to such a blatant example of ill health. What do you think?

I believe that all of society needs to make sure mothers have truly healthy babies, as much as we know how to do that. Prevention is always the very Best Medicine.

How do you use one of the world’s most nutritious foods? Is organic coconut part of your diet? If it is, “Brava! Bravo!”, but if it is not in your pantry or refrigerator, learn how you are sabotaging your Health by sidelining its healing gifts! Nature’s traveling soccer-ball is part of the biggest game you hope to win — the Game of Life!

Coconuts, which are actually the plant world’s largest seed, can travel in salt water across oceans for even a year at a time, and still be ready to root. Botanists think coconut palms began in Malaysia and spread from there.

Coconuts are so important to human survival, and are a Foundational Human Food (FHF), in my opinion. Prehistoric and tribal peoples depend on them for food, clothing, shelter and tools. They are the Tree of Life! In fact, in Sanskrit, one of the world’s oldest languages, they are called “kalpa vriksha”, “the tree which gives all that is necessary for living”. That eloquently shows this food’s importance!

We call them “coconuts” because Spanish and Portuguese “explorers” of the Malay Peninsula saw the “nuts” and thought they looked like monkey-faces. Coco means “monkey face”.

Coconuts contain “the fluid of life”, too. What’s that, you ask? Well, the transparent coconut water, the liquid that comes out when the young coconut is first opened, mirrors the profile and mineral content of our human blood, perfectly! And, in a previously secure, unbroken nut, this coconut water is sterile, so Tender Coconut Water has been used in World War 2 for instant IV’s, as a universal donor, by medics, and has undoubtedly saved many lives, including those of young children today who are dehydrated by tropical diarrheal diseases, increasing their blood’s plasma.

Coconut water also contains lauric acid, found in mother’s milk and few other places in nature, so again, it provides our youngest with Life itself, when in need. It can help save your life today, too, as it is still a perfect electrolyte match for what your blood and cells need and read about cytokinins, below!

Called Tender Coconut Water (TCW), it is only from young, green-skinned coconuts —- the “old” brown coconuts have very little of this fluid left, and it has also changed content as the nut matured. TCW is best eaten fresh from the coconut; metal cans and aseptic packs and the pasteurization process all rob flavor and nutrition. Check Asian and Latin markets and your best natural food store for “young” coconuts. Sometimes they are in their natural form; sometimes the green husk has been removed and the inner white hard pith has been shaped into a conical pillar, then covered in plastic-wrap. Organic young, green coconuts are also available from http://www.rawguru.com If need be, http://www.melissas.com has young ones, too (but theirs may be Thai coconuts; see Thai problems, below).

It takes up to a year for a coconut to mature and the 9 month stage usually produces the best Tender Coconut Water (TCW). It takes about 9 months for the coconut husk to filter and clean about 1 liter of TCW. Coconut trees are in production year-round and can make about 60 nuts annually. There are plenty of nuts and more areas can produce them than currently do.

You will be seeing a lot more young-coconut based isotonic sports drinks and functional foods. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations took out its first patent for a cold-microfiltering technology, invented by Morton Satin, chief of FAO, so more third-world small manufacturers and family enterprises can now bring coconut water safely to us and raise their standard of living in a more-equitable free trade scenario.

Most present day commercial processes use too high heat technology and produce an inferior product.

Care must be taken with Tender Coconut Water (TCW) and it should be used quickly from a fresh nut, or be refrigerated immediately. The TCW is a perfect medium, and it will begin to ferment. It should always look colorless and transparent. Any cloudiness or pinkness or strange odor indicate you should not drink it. Also look for dark spots, tears or soft spots on the green skin to indicate spoilage.

In Traditional Medicine, coconut water and flesh are used medicinally, for heart, liver and kidney disorders, and the lauric and capyrlic acids in coconut effectively reduce viral-load, so they are useful in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Epstein-Barr and other viral overloads like HIV. TCW can also be applied topically in cases of chicken pox, measles etc. TCW is slightly diuretic. Traditional TCW uses also includes helping diabetes.

TCW also contains special organic molecules called cytokinins which are cellular protective factors when cells undergo division. Cytokinins help to prevent RNA replication errors, so we get a new cell with accurate DNA. Coconut TCW has one of the highest sources of cytokinins in nature.

TCW goes by various local names: buko juice in the Phillipines, ilaneer in Kerala, India, daab narikolor paani in Assam, India, Thenkai in Tamil from Sri Lanka, Nariyal in Hindi, India’s modern national language. and many more.

Unfortunately, the Thai coconuts are now being irradiated, so be sure that you know your sources. And many, notably Thai, are also dipped in fungicides readying for their 6 week ocean-shipping. 30% or more of the shipment rots, so it’s important to do a real inspection in the market. It should feel heavy with juice, otherwise it may have small openings evaporating the liquid. The “eyes” at the base should not look dark or have mold. Take home an “extra” as a back-up, if you are making a recipe. Nuts from Brazil are the sweetest; nuts from India have a slightly salty flavor.

Here are some recipes from the internet to help you begin to experiment more with TCW.

====================================================================
Rasam is one of my favorite Indian soups. Make it as spicy as you like. I included this recipe for those who want more choices, other than desserts and drinks, to use the TCW.

————————-
1. In a small saucepan, pour 1/3 cup water and agar-agar powder. Soak it for 10 minutes.
2. Pour the rest of the basic ingredients** into a blender and process, pulsing, until smooth for at least five minutes. If not too smooth yet, blend for a couple of minutes more.

** Note: add first only 1/4 coconut water, if the blender does not blend because it is to dry, add 1/2 cup more coconut water and so on, but not more than 3/4 cup coconut water.

3. Let the mix rest in the blender.
4. Place the small saucepan with the agar-agar on the stove and heat in low for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The agar-agar should become completely dissolved. If using powder, it should not become a paste, if that happens, add more water. If using flakes, it will become a jelly transparent mixture. The flakes are easier to find and Eden Foods make a good one – look in the Macrobiotic or Asian sections of markets and natural food stores. Agar-agar is a vegetarian “gelatin”.

5. Let the agar-agar mixture rest for a couple of minutes to cool down, but not to set.
6. Add it to the mixture in the blender and blend for about 30-40 sec.

9. Place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 2 hours before consuming, four hours is better. Then, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes before eating.

10. Place a flat plate on top of the form and flip it. If the flan does not come out, shake the flan form several times, from side to side, gently, to loosen it. Coat with maple syrup.

* WARNING: never use raw honey for children under 3 years of age. Their immune systems are not mature enough to handle the possible botulism spores in raw honey.
=====================================================================

I hope this helps you use this valuable food which is little-known-to-Westerners. Support the use of coconut palms in Florida, Hawaii and tropical Australia, too.

As the soul-searching of Yom Kippur is most recent in my mind, I offer the thoughts of 2 people, one of whom I know well, the other not at all. I hope that each will help you on your own Life Journey. Meanwhile, I have pondered humanity’s “place” as I watch the wildlife all around me get ready, in their natural cycle, for the winter and lean times. The promise of Spring and continued survival always abounds because they follow their Natural Guideline Body Manual (NGBM) — which we call “instinct” — a word which deprecates the Divine Wisdom inherent in it’s guidance.

As I watch the mother deer bring 5 of her young, of various ages, to our back lawn to delicately peruse and then eat very specific greens and that, moment by moment, I see each child is learning to watch-out for itself and make decisions, based on her example. After 6 weeks, I finally saw one of her oldest deer decide to leave the pack, as it saw me at the window and was no longer re-assured by it’s mother’s peaceful stance of Experience. It knew it was close to having total-responsibility, and made it’s independent assessment — the only thing that will help it survive when it is forced to leave the group soon. Are we any different? What should we be teaching our children to give them the best chance for Health and Survival?

And I admire the bushy-tailed grey squirrel’s uncanny ability to find the bit of water from a source where only it’s tiny face can fit to lick-up and for it to continue to chase it’s mate in a game-of-tag between the hard-work of gathering nuts. Yes, work must always be balanced by play.

I watched the wildlife lose access to precious food by staying away from our land for a whole week after my sister’s dog came and left her scent everywhere, until the scent disappeared after the first rainstorm of the season. My parents built this home more than 30 years ago, and lived here in harmony with the wildlife — not applying poisons to the land and not fencing it — unlike so many of our new neighbors, who have felt it their “right” to fence off “their” land with huge wrought iron-gates and fences and stone pillars, everywhere, so that ours is one of the few original, unfenced properties, where the wildlife can find food in a land that was “theirs” from Time Immemorial, when they shared it only with a few, more respectful humans — the indigenous Native American clans. Today, it’s shameful how humans put only their desires into the mix and call them “rights”.

I haven’t seen any California quail this year; that worries me. They used to be abundant. I have only seen one pair of jack rabbits; they used to be more abundant, too, and this pair is very wary, often coming alone. The raptors are fewer, and that will happen when the world below them gets out-of-balance. But the rooks or crows or ravens, whichever they are, have become much more numerous, and, as they are smart, they take over other’s eco-niches easily.

People have interfered with the natural access routes here and thereby the Cycle-of-Life for these animals, putting their very existence in jeopardy, and lack of access as well as replacing natural flora and plant biodiversity has impacted the whole ecology severely here, in just this tiny area of California’s richness. And, as for the lessons to be learned here, remember to ask yourself, “Am I living according to my Human Guideline Body Manual?”

What happens when we don’t use our HGBM? We become ill; we shorten our life; we fail to thrive and survive. Is it worth the price? In my opinion, very few humans live according to their HGBM — in Harmony — at one with the Land, the Cycle of Time, in accord with one another and with Self. The vital question now is “Can we undo the health-mess we have become?”.

It is important to remember that Healing is an Art and we have been divinely endowed with all kinds of skills, often not used or understood.Anyone dealing with a chronic health issue needs to pursue skills and find modalities to “get in touch” with their Innate Healing Ability (IHA).

Many alternative medical practitioners can start you on your Journey; as there are many ways to approach finding and then utilizing your Vital Life-Energy, also known as: “Chi”, “Prana”, “Ruach”, “Ki”, “Qi”, “Orgone Energy”, “Tachyon Energy”, “Mana”, “Barraka”, “Vital Force”, “Kundalini Energy”, “Navitas” and “vis medicatrix naturae”, Latin for the healing power of Nature.

All peoples on the planet have a name for this bio-energy, so we must acknowledge it’s existence; it is not a matter of new-age thinking. Only the still “sensitive” people among us can help the rest of us return to our Root, and move our Energy until we are well enough to feel and move our own Energy, again.

Last week, I just had my first session with a well-regarded Bowen Technique practitioner. I have known about Bowen for almost a decade, but never had access to a practitioner, but now, while staying with my Mum, several are nearby — there are about 12,000 world-wide now.

It was a relief to feel my “chi” flowing again and the painful muscles finally getting help to release. I often wonder how many dis-eases are “caused” by the strangulation of glands and organs by a bio-armor girdle of stressed-out, tight musculature.

Bowen is much more sophisticated and wide-reaching than Therapeutic Massage, but massage also has it’s place, as does: Jin Shin Jyutsu, Acupressure, Acupuncture, Esogetic Colorpuncture System from Dr. Peter Mandel, ND, Dr. Bach’s Flower Essence system and California’s Flower Essence Society’s system, Reiki, Alexander Technique, Reflexology, Tai Chi and Medical Qi Gong like Pangu Shengong and Chi’Lel. I have experienced most of these modalities and / or have officially studied, or independently learned, a great deal about them.

They help me be a better physician and custodian of my Soul and Body.

You can find each of the official sites on the web to learn more. And, when in doubt about a path, emulate a child’s intuitive choice, as they are more in touch. We can be again, too.

I humbly and sincerely encourage you to learn about each modality. Now, some food for thought.

————————————————————————————-

” we embody all the skills and arts we need to manage our own health
by self-listening and guidance from those who already understand
but ultimately, the decisions and road must be our own
so, use the open-heart and open-mind you received at birth
listen to their Truth to guide you

we are the pilot of our body, mind and soul
wisely-used free-choice is a hallmark of our existence
all 3 trillion of our cells must have their voice and needs considered.
our well-being depends on bringing the universal energy to them
to nourish them and bathe them in the goodness of this greatest Gift

gain understanding that All is the Energy of Love — there is no separation
we are all One Life, One Be-ing — you are never alone
all angst, solace and joy are shared, and change is our constant companion
the energy constantly re-vitalizes and restores us to Perfection,
even if momentary, when we open our hearts to it”

Margaret Levin Shatzen
(c)2007 all rights reserved*

* Margaret has kindly granted that you may copy this for your own personal use. No commercial use is acceptable.
—————————————————————————–

Sir Dr. Robert Hutchison’s Physician’s Prayer
— written on the walls of Children’s Hospital, London

” From inability to leave well enough alone,
From too much zeal for the new and contempt for what is old,
From putting knowledge before wisdom,
Science before art and cleverness before common sense,

From treating patients as cases, and from making the cure of the disease more grievous than the endurance of the same.

Good Lord, deliver us.”

——————————————————————————–

Meanwhile, find an excellent human being as your physician, and realise that you are at least an equal-partner in your own care.

This necessary equal-partnership is also emphasized in the new book I highly recommend by Dr. Thomas Rau, MD, Switzerland’s foremost naturopathic physician, “The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health”. We’ll talk about it more in the future, but it is a first-step to use your HGBM and for you to learn to strengthen your skills and knowledge of your IHA, as your inner-physician.

I certainly wish you all the Best.

Em

(c)2007 Em https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.comIf you desire to quote from or use my article, please include the full copyright citation and website address. Thanks!
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)

Share this:

Mmm! Warm Honey Cake. Doesn’t that smell good! Mine just arrived Monday afternoon, by FedEx, quite a few days after Rosh Hashannah last week, but honey cake keeps exceptionally well, as honey has a natural antibiotic qualities.

So, my Mother and I will enjoy the cake my husband and daughter baked with such love, and it will re-inforce the bonds which have kept Jewish families together through thousands of years of forced diaspora, in every nook and cranny around the world. We are, indeed, the first global tribe and first global cuisine.

This is our year 5768, acknowledging us as having the most ancient, organized calendar and community still in existence. Archeologists have recently found the remains of the oldest apiary and it was in Israel, being used by bee-keepers in about 900 B.C.E. That is why Israel has always been called the Land of Milk and Honey.

Erev Rosh Hashannah began in the evening of Wednesday, September 12, when 3 stars could be seen all in the same view of the sky — the Jewish “day” always begins in the evening, as it says in Genesis, ‘And there was evening, and there was morning, the First Day’. So, now a New Year had begun. And, our traditional greeting is “L’shana tova tiketevu”, which translates to ‘May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year!’.

Jews actually have several “new year” celebrations. The next one will be in January / February to celebrate the New Year of Trees, as the fruit trees of our Northern Hemisphere stir from winter dormancy and return to life. Blessings for the most simple yet profound occasions and an appreciation, moment by moment, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year and lifetime by lifetime are always present in the thoughts of spiritual people, regardless of their “religious” pursuasion.

Another “new year” will be when we begin to read the Torah (the Five Books of Moses, the Old Testament) at it’s beginning chapters, in Genesis, again.

For Jews, Rosh Hashannah, and the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, which is celebrated 10 days later, are times of introspection and gratitude, rather than raucous celebration. So, only in subtle ways, are there the delights for the body, and Honey Cake is traditional, along with a sweet, round braided challah bread, sometimes with little ladders or birds on it, so our ‘prayers ascend to Heaven’. These are traditional foods only eaten at this time. Roundness is the preferred shape as it symbolizes continuity, completeness and the cyclicity of Life etc.

Just like the first bite of matzah at Passover, Honey Cake at Rosh Hashannah brings forth memories and hopes.

It’s hard to balance where to put Honey Cake on the Health Scale. There are so many ways to make it, and many are far too sweet for diabetics. Honey, although natural, is still high on the glycemic scale, but it is a yin, alkaline food, so helpful in the pH battle against body acidity.

I prefer to use Y. S. Raw Honey, but raw honey should not be given to any child under 3 years old, as all honey contains botulism spores, potentially. Cooking honey changes its structure and our body’s relationship to it, so I prefer to cook with it as little as possible, but if I have to, I prefer to start with a raw honey, so it is cooked once, not multiple times. http://www.ysorganic.com/organic.html

Honey bees are our world’s hardest workers, and we will be in dire straits if the honey bees continue to killed off as they have been for the last 2 years, in huge numbers, several places in the world. This is an ecological disaster in the making. So far, entymologists are looking at a viral cause. Keep up on this topic!

So far, on the internet, I have not found any Honey Cake recipes where people have experimented with the low glycemic sweeteners such as stevia or agave nectar. If I have time, I will adapt the best recipe I find to use an equivalent partial or whole substitution using agave — which is basically a form of cactus “honey” or syrup.

I’ll ammend my post here when I get around to that recipe, but for now, here are a couple of the more interesting honey-cake type recipes I found.

And, Jews will make Honey Cake one more time — for the harvest festival of Sukkot, a few days after Yom Kippur, so you can still enjoy these cakes in a timely fashion, especially in the little outdoor Tabernacles where orthodox Jews live during Sukkot or on your patio in the still, clear days and evenings of Autumn, under a harvest moon.

I think this first recipe below (based on one from Dr. Bruce Fife, ND) is a good one to experiment with. Originally, these were Honey Muffins and they are NOT a traditional Jewish Honey Cake, but I think I’ll not divide the recipe in muffin tins and make it as an 8″ cake instead — worth a try. I will use buckwheat honey, as that is what I always use and it is most traditional for Ashkanazi Jews from Europe.

So, here’s another no-gluten, coconut recipe for those with celiac, sprue, Chrohn’s or other gluten intolerance or just a taste for adventure!

NON-TRADITIONAL, LOW GLYCEMIC, HONEY MUFFINS or CAKE

This is a basic coconut flour muffin recipe you can use to make as a base for other-flavored muffins, too.

BUT — You will need to reduce the heat to 325 and cook it longer for an 8″ cake — it will probably take about 30 – 35 minutes or so. Keep checking and do be prepared to cover the top with aluminum foil if it browns too fast.

NOTE:
To know if it is done, poke a wooden skewer into the center, and only dry crumbs or no crumbs should cling to it. If anything moist is on the skewer, bake the cake longer. It is also “done” when it begins to pull away from the sides. Let it cool in the pan, then turn it out to finish cooling completely on a wire cake rack.

If you try this, please write in to tell us how it worked out, if I don’t report first.

1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C slivered almonds, or roughly chopped walnuts (nuts are usually not used at Rosh Hashannah)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small bowl, soak the apricots in the liqueur for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10×5-inch loaf pan (make sure you measure your loaf pan, as they vary widely in size).

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Stir in the honey, oil, grated lemon and orange rind and juice, sugar, salt, and apricot jam.

Sift the 2 flours into another bowl. Remove 1/4C of the flour to use to toss the drained apricots, below. Add the baking soda to the rest of the flour. Mix it in well.

Strain the apricots, reserving the excess liquid. Toss the drained apricots into the reserved 1/4C of flour. This dries them a little and helps them “suspend” in the batter. Return the unused flour to the larger bowl of dry ingredients.

Add the flour alternately with the alcohol to the honey-egg-citrus cake mixture. Fold in the apricots. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the nuts (if using them).

Make sure the cake batter is level before putting it in the oven, as this mix does not level-out on its own.

Bake in the oven on the lower rack for 50-55 minutes, or until the center of the cake is firm when you press it (and use the instructions I gave about the wooden skewer technique).

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan, on a rack. When cool, remove the cake from its pan, and make sure it is completely cool before wrapping for freezing, mailing and can be kept out in an airtight container for several days, otherwise refrigerate.

Makes 1 Cake.

Notes and Suggestions:

— additionally, use parchment baking paper in the base of a metal cake pan. Some people have also suggested using tube pans, but this will need time adjustments, as the cakes will cook faster due to heat coming more quickly to the center. Some mention using silicon pans and that they cook more evenly, but I am not going to use them as I believe that it is likely that at least some silicon will be ingested.

— some said to add 1/2t more baking soda

— 5x5x3 mini loaf pans were done in about 35 minutes

— add 1/4t cinnamon

— spelt flour would be a traditional flour used in the ancient Mid-East; substitute it for the same amount of rye or unbleached wheat flour

Beat the eggs, oil and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Add honey and cooled coffee and then beat in the flour gently, a little at a time. Bake in a large round fluted tin (bundt pan) at 170 degrees for 1 hour (this seems low to me; may take more time).

* self-rising flour is available in America. You must look for it, and it has the leavening ingredients (baking soda, baking powder etc ) already included in it.

Sefardi Jews are those who remained in the Middle East and all around the Mediterranean countries, traditionally, with premier communities in Moorish Spain and in Italy and in Morrocco. Their cuisine always reflects the foods of these sunny climes.

For this first cooking step, please watch the pan the whole time. Do not leave it for a moment; be careful pouring it, too. Keep children out of the kitchen completely while you do this first step.

___ In a heavy skillet slowly heat the sugar in 2 tsp. of water, stirring regularly, until the sugar has melted and turned into a caramel syrup. Immediately pour the syrup into a cake tin, tilting so that the entire bottom of the tin is coated. Let cool.

___ In a saucepan heat the wine and honey, stirring until the honey dissolves. Add the cinnamon and lemon rind, stirring well. Remove from the flame and let cool 5 – 6 minutes.

___ In a mixing bowl beat together the egg yolks and whole eggs. Add these to the honey-wine mixture, beating until well blended, and pour into the cake tin. Place the tin in a large pot of water (be sure that the water is not higher than 1 cm. (1/2 “) from the lip of the tin) and bake in a medium oven until the mixture is set (about 45 minutes).

Let cool for 15 – 20 minutes and then refrigerate.

Just before serving, run a thin knife blade around the edges to loosen the sides and invert onto a chilled serving dish.
========================================================================
Have fun. Enjoy these cakes and let me know if and how you adapt them. When I get a chance to make my changes, I’ll let you know, but I’m taking care of my Mother at the moment, and it’s taking most of my time.

Best to all — Em

(c)2007 Em https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
If you desire to quote from or use my article, please include the entire copyright citation and website address. Thanks!
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)

Share this:

I’m a Survivor! If you could choose only two plants to have on a desert island to help you survive, what would you choose? For me, they would be industrial hemp and coconut. Why?! Well, here’s the first article about coconut, which I believe to be an original, foundational human food (FHF).

Coconut really reached a top-level echelon for me a few years ago, due to Donna Gates’ research about its anti-viral efficacy, but I got more intrigued about coconut’s great possibility to Heal after I spent almost all of last summer reading. (It’s a passion, so the hours easily roll by. This summer, I have had less of that luxury, as caring for my Mother has arisen.) One of the most important books I read last summer was “UltraMetabolism” by Dr. Mark Hyman, MD.

Mark is one of the growing number of Holistic Integrative Medical doctors — i.e. MDs who willingly embrace Alternative Medicine’s desire to:

1) really cure the root of the problem while

2) using as natural a therapy as possible, with the idea of working WITH your body, doing NO harm.

I believe these doctors are the best hope for the future of the Healing Arts – for arts they are, more so than science, but science has its place.

One of the studies Mark cites found diabetics seem to have smaller mitochondria in their cells. What’s a mitochondria you ask? Glad you did.

Mitochondria are your intra-cellular power-houses. They are your bio-engine. It is where all the nutritional material you put in your body is literally “burned” for you to make the energy you need — the energy to run your body and mind smoothly and seamlessly, as well as make the “extra energy” you want to use to play or work.

If diabetics do indeed have smaller power-houses, then the food-fuel which cannot enter the mitochondria to turn into energy, starts being stashed as fat, instead. Insulin is very effective in “doing” fat-storage as blood sugars cannot stay high, while waiting for food to be burned.

What’s a solution?

1) Eating small meals is one.

2) Choosing the kinds of foods you eat, and especially whether you are eating medium-chain fatty acids and Omega-3 fats (these are “the good fats”) is another strategy. These good-fats impact your metabolism favorably and help it be more efficient, just as the right kind of exercise also does.

3) Obviously, when we mention exercise, you have to consult your own physician as to what is correct for you, but usually, long, slow exercise counts. This is why walking is so beneficial.

Exercise builds muscle, and new muscle includes lots of new mitochondrial power-houses — so even if these mitochondria are smaller, too, you still MADE more power-houses due to muscle-building.

The two techniques I’ve mentioned help you from two different directions:

1) made your metabolism more efficient and

2) made more mitochondria!

Keep tabs on your blood sugars, as you should see a positive response and feel more energy, too, over time.

Where do you find the medium-chain miracle fatty-acids you need to start rebalancing your biochemistry? They are found in cold-pressed, extra-virgin coconut oil — a healthy, although saturated, vegetarian oil.

BUT, do not use trans-fat hydrogenated coconut oils; these are rampantly-used in factory-produced foods; read product labels, as these hydrogenated forms gave ‘coconut and tropical oils’ an undeserved stigma. Natural coconut oil is trans-fat free; only factories make it hydrogenated.

Humans began in warm, tropical climes where coconuts proliferate, and they are the basic foundational human food (FHF) that is easily available to sustain life. All hunter-gather tribes utilize them fully, for food, clothing and housing. The coconut “water”, inside the nut, is sterile, and safer to drink than the often microbially-infested surface waters. The mineral profile of the coconut water (not coconut “milk”, which is made with pulp) is almost exactly the mineral electrolyte profile your cells need for health — potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, manganese, copper along with vital amino acids. Although “fatty”, coconuts contain no cholesterol.

This largest-nut was truly a gift, and it’s calories enabled us to be satiated when there was largely only high water-content tropical fruits and difficult to find shell-fish or ocean fish.

Fresh coconuts are an alkaline pH food, and so they can help combat the modern acid-producing life-style which eats away at your circulatory system and organs. Coconuts are also a high-fiber, low-glycemic food and they have a low carb profile along with their protein.Every ounce of shredded coconut contains about 5 grams of fiber. Your quota of fiber should aim to be around 30 – 35 grams, daily.

Just about everyone loves the taste of coconut, too. It’s especially easy to use it for children.

It’s important to know that there is a big difference between the nutrition of “old” brown coconuts and “young” green coconuts. Ask your health store to import young, green nuts. Their jelly-like flesh is perfect for smoothies, puddings and just straight-from-the nut eating. Unfortunately, most of the nuts from Thailand are now being “irradiated”, so ask lots of questions about your retailer’s sources. Consider tracking down naturally-processed nuts online, if you have to. Young green coconuts are often sold wrapped in plastic with only the white inner husk showing because the green part has been hacked off.

Coconut is a potent anti-viral food and it is proving to be helpful in combatting yeast-infections and the Epstein-Barr like virus which is associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, too. Lauric acid and caprylic acid are the most effective, active anti-virals.

Coconut is also an important substitute for wheat flours in cooking for gluten-intolerant people who have Crohn’s disease, celiac or sprue. Dr. Bruce Fife, ND is a vociferous advocate for coconut as a healthy food, and he has written many books on the subject. The recipe I am including is from his book “Cooking With Coconut Flour“.

Organic, unrefined coconut oil is also very healthy to use for frying. Use just a bit. A little goes a long way, and as it is one of the highest-temperature stable oils, it is much better to use for these high-temperature cooking processes than lower temperature “unsaturated” oils, which de-nature in the frying zone and produce harmful products.

Other palm oils also supply medium-chain fatty acids, and are beneficial if naturally-processed and organic, although they are vegetarian “saturated” fats. The deep orange color of organic palm oil is naturally-occurring beta-carotene, and it’s a richer source than carrots.

In the bottle, organic coconut fat should be fluffy-cloud white — yet be unbleached; if the room temperature is more than 76 degrees Fahrenheit, then coconut oil will be a clear liquid in its bottle.

Jungle Products, Omega Nutrition and Spectrum Oils each have suitable versions; I include them in that order, according to my taste tests. Spectrum makes unrefined and refined, so look at their labels carefully.

The extra-virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil’s medium-chain fatty-acids and the Omega-3 fats (in another article, soon) available from cold-water fish and hemp, can go a long way toward helping ameliorate diabetes. They offer the possibility of near-cure or cure of diabetes when in a co-ordinated plan.

Cherie Colbom’s “The Coconut Diet” and Dr. Mark Hyman’s “UltraMetbolism” books will help you learn lots more, as will Donna Gates’Body-Ecology Diet site at http://www.bodyecologydiet.com/ and, check out her starter and directions for making coconut-water kefir.

Coconut products are usually room-temperature stable; this is true for coconut oil, tightly-closed dried coconut and unopened coconut water. Canned coconut milk and coconut-water should be refrigerated after opening, tightly-covered for a maximum of 4 days OR you can freeze them.

Mix well, so there are no lumps. Next, fold in the nuts.
1/2C organic walnuts or pecans

Pour the batter into the pre-sprayed loaf pan and put into the pre-heated oven for 60 minutes. Check that the center of the loaf is done by inserting a wooden slewer. If only a few dry crumbs cling, that’s OK, but it should not be moist on the skewer. Remove the loaf from the pan, carefully, and let it cool on a wire rack before serving or wrapping for storage.

Makes 1 loaf ======================================================================
I usually choose pecans over walnuts, but as I am at my mother’s home, in an orchard of organic walnuts, in California, I’ll be hard-pressed to not be using walnuts when this year’s harvest is ready in the fall. The black walnuts are already dropping, but the English ones are still on the trees, at the moment.

I’ll try to share more about coconuts next time, as they are such an important food. Meanwhile, you can read more about them at:

(c)2007 Em https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
If you desire to use my article or quote from it, please include the full copyright citation and website address, too. Thanks!
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)

Share this:

Today is Labor Day in the United States — a day which is meant to celebrate the American Worker.

In modern times, many of us define ourselves by the “job” we have. I think that is an aberration.

I believe we need to re-orient in several ways, and if we succeed, then we have the opportunity for a healthier life!

___ First of all, we are NOT our job description. We are much more than that narrow encapsulation of skills and its “power” over us short-circuits our potential and shades our responsibility to become “more”.

We owe it to ourselves to be aware of our innate gifts (attributes) and to take-on the real act of living our lives by utilizing them all to the fullest, in as wide a range of influence as possible. Dream big dreams and make them real!

___ Speak out against injustice. It’s very prevalent in even more areas of life today. As a person of 61 years, I think the workers are having an even tougher time and corporate-greed is at an all-time high, world-wide, on a scale heretofore unimagined. The checks and balances meant to “protect” the ordinary person, who makes the world operate everyday, just seem to be handed over to the Powerful. The only way to stop all this is to advocate, participate in government, or as a citizen, and make new things happen — throw out officials who do not act equitably and honestly. If you sit back, you will lose even more of your freedoms and your economic life-line.

___ Your “real” labor is to find and do your Universal Purpose, to learn your Universal Lessons, and earthly labor is just meant to give you the resources to feed, clothe and house yourself while you spend more of your time on the Big Picture — producing Your Real Life.

___ Hone your divinely-given talents. They were given as Keys to Your Success. Honor them by using them. If you love writing, do it — find Your Voice. If you are a good athlete, find a way to use it to make even more happen, especially by helping others. For all of us, part of our Life’s Purpose is to help others — if you are not, then you have dis-empowered and “impoverished” yourself, no matter how “successful” and “prosperous” you think you are.

___ Love is in the mix. If you don’t “love” what you are doing and who you are doing it with, try to find a place where you are nourishing your heart and soul as soon as you can. Living in less than healthy mental states, or ones which are chronically stressful, negatively impacts your life. It takes courage to move-on. Find your courage. Dig deep. It’s there. We are all-powerful Beings. We are a piece of the Universal Divine. How can it be any other way? Draw strength from that.

___ Forge new relationships throughout your life. Learn from others. Help them to learn from you. Have friends of all types and ages. Take counsel from only wise people.

___ Be a great role-model for the next generation. Only take on parenting if you have a love of children, understand their needs and the degree to which they will change your life. In being a parent, your corporate job must become secondary.

Well, I may add more later … but I’m going to get some well-deserved rest. I hope you do too.

Best to all — Em

(c)2007 EM https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
If you decide to use my article or quote from it, please include the complete copyright information and website address. Thanks!
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information”(TM)

As promised, here are recipes for Goji Berries, the miracle food from Tibet and China. Some recipes are new, from me, others are tasty internet recipes. You want an easy way to regain your health, don’t you? Goji can make a real difference, but as in my previous article, (see Title Archive tab, above), it is necessary to know how and where the Goji’s have been grown!

The Chinese berries can be VERY POLLUTED, even those with “Green Certification”, which is NOT equivalent to the stringent European and American “organic standards”.

I found that the large American company called Dole, www.dolegoji.com says it’s Goji’s are sourced properly, so check them out as well as asking staff at the official entity set in place by the Dalai Lama, to protect the integrity of Tibetan berries — that site is at the end of the article.

2011 Update: The Seattle-based major importer of Chinese goji berries says ‘the majority of goji berries sold in the USA are his, repackaged as “Tibetan” gojis’. If this is the case, and you want only Tibetan goji, then follow-up on the suggestions in the paragraph above.

Tibetan goji are not from huge commercial farms, so most labeled as Tibetan probably are not. And, of course, the whole mess is complicated because the Chinese have taken-over Tibet, and are in the process of making it as Han-Chinese as possible by overwhelming Tibetans in every way.

Although the Chinese berries are also farmed in remote areas, according to the owner of gojitrees.com, pollution from China’s massively unregulated industry is polluting around the world. I doubt it has an easy time crossing the Himalayas into Tibet, but it all depends on the wind patterns — for any berries from Tibet or China.

I do not knowlingly eat any agricultural products from China, because when tested, even their “organic” label, is NOT good enough for that certification anywhere else in the industrialized world!

Mr. Tompkins at gojitrees.com generously is offering the best solution if you are in the right ecological niche — grown your own! He’ll even send you 15 free seeds. Thanks! Read more on his site.

Here, without more teaching commentary, due to my recently hurt wrist, are my adapted recipes and a couple of Internet originals, verbatum.
========================================================================

Combine all the fruit in a food processor or blender, along with the liquids and spices.

Cover the mixture and blend on high-speed. Drink immediately.

Serves 2

* Milk thistle helps support your liver. As liver cells live about 18 months, it takes about 2 years of daily use for milk-thistle to rebuild damaged or malfunctioning livers and rebuild blood. Get the seeds from a natural health store or a herbalist OR use milk thistle extract as directed on the bottle for 1-2 doses.
——————————————————————————————-

“For people who struggle with wheat allergies and gluten intolerance, buckwheat is an ideal food. Many people who are having physical and emotional challenges find that removing wheat and other gluten containing foods from there diet makes a profound difference in how they think and feel. Buckwheat has plenty of protein and B vitamins, and is rich in phosphorus, potassium, iron, and calcium. Although buckwheat has many grain-like characteristics, it is from an entirely different botanical family, and is actually a fruit. Since buckwheat is unrelated to the classic cereal grains, those who are allergic to wheat can tolerate buckwheat. It is also delicious!”

To make a serving for 2 people:

Bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil, slowly stir in ½ cup of Cream of Buckwheat, return to boil. Add a handful of Goji Berries per person. A dash of good quality (Celtic sea) salt is optional. Reduce heat to low, simmer 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Over medium heat, warm the olive and coconut oils in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and sauté until just slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potato and ginger and sauté until the vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes more. Add the veggie stock, cover partially and bring liquid to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are completely softened, taking about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Goji Berries and finely sliced endives or kale.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender or you can use a food processor. Be careful, it’s hot! Leave some texture, if desired. Next, return the soup to the pot. Alternatively, you can process with an immersion stick blender in the pot, but keep the blender submerged the whole time it is turned on!

Set the pan over medium heat and stir in the orange juice and zest. Season with Celtic sea salt and white pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and then garnish each serving with an avocado slice OR a sprig of mint.

Serves 4 to 6.

Serving Tip: As an alternative garnish, top the soup with chopped crystallized gingerOR fried ginger.

To fry ginger: Peel a 5″ piece of ginger and slice it into a very fine julienne strips. In a very small fry pan over medium-high heat, pour in extra-virgin, organic olive oil OR a couple of tablespoons of organic coconut oil. Depth of the oil should be about 1/4″ -1/2″ when heated. When the oil is hot, fry the ginger until just crisp and golden brown; this takes 20 to 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer the ginger to a paper towel-lined plate. When cool, divide into portions to garnish each serving.

If you are sensitive to any of the following Nightshade plants, then discuss with your allergist how, and if, to try goji berries: potato, tomato, tomatillo, all peppers, eggplant —- as well as drugs, tobacco and belladonna — they are all Nightshade family plants.

If you are taking blood thinning medication like Coumadin or Warfarin, consult your physician before using goji berries, as they have such high Vitamin C content, normal-size portions will affect your blood status.

Please sign-up for email alerts for when I post by using the drop-box at the top of the right side-bar.

Please share this article with your favorite social media sites; a few icons are below thew post.

Read more in the Titles Archive – tab is on the upper navigation bar.

(c)2007 Em https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.comIf you want to use or quote this article, please include the full copyright citation and website address. Thank you! “Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)

Why I Am So Passionate About This!

The prevention of type 2 diabetes, especially, is looming as one of the most pressing public health concerns of the 21st century ... with ever-increasing numbers of teens and children being diagnosed ... with two-thirds of U.S. adults now overweight or obese and, therefore, seriously at-risk.
Type 2 diabetes is mostly preventable, through education and action. So, it is outrageous that the number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is rising, world-wide, and the age they are stricken with it is falling!

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.